worm
worm — noun
1. a soft-bodied creature that has a long narrow shape, no legs or bones, and lives
a soft-bodied creature that has a long narrow shape, no legs or bones, and lives mostly in soil.
After the heavy rain, several pink worms crawled across the pavement in our street.
collocation: crawl / wriggle + worm
Walid found a fat worm in the soil while planting tomato seedlings in the garden.
countable: a worm / the worm / worms
Robins and blackbirds eat worms that live just beneath the surface of the grass.
A long worm wriggled out of the wet ground when Tara lifted the flowerpot.
用法筆記
Countable noun. Often used with verbs like wriggle, crawl, or squirm to describe the movement of the animal.
2. the early, worm-shaped stage of certain insects before they become adults, such
the early, worm-shaped stage of certain insects before they become adults, such as a caterpillar that will later turn into a butterfly or moth.
The gardener spotted small green worms eating holes through the cabbage leaves.
domain: gardening — insect larvae on plants
Minh cut open an apple and found a tiny white worm curled inside the core.
These black-and-yellow worms that feed on milkweed will later become monarch butterflies.
Hannah collected silk worms from the mulberry tree and watched them spin their cocoons.
- caterpillar
specifically the larva of butterflies and moths; more precise than worm
- grub
the thick, soft larva of beetles; often found in soil or wood
- maggot
the legless larva of flies; usually found in decaying matter
用法筆記
In everyday English, this sense overlaps with words like caterpillar, grub, and maggot, which are more specific. 'Worm' here is a general, non-scientific term.
常見錯誤
3. a type of parasitic worm that lives inside the body of a person or an animal, fe
a type of parasitic worm that lives inside the body of a person or an animal, feeding on the host's food or blood and often causing illness.
The vet examined a sample of the dog's stool for signs of intestinal worms.
domain: veterinary — stool test for worms
Tara gave her cat a special paste because the animal had picked up worms from eating raw meat.
Children who play in soil without washing their hands can sometimes get roundworms.
The doctor explained that tapeworms can grow several metres long inside the human intestine.
In tropical countries, hookworm infections are a serious health problem for people without access to proper shoes.
用法筆記
Often used in plural (worms) when referring to an infestation in an animal or person. Common verb partners: have (worms), get (worms), treat (worms), and remove (worms).
4. an insulting word for a person, especially one who behaves in a dishonest, weak,
an insulting word for a person, especially one who behaves in a dishonest, weak, or unpleasant way that makes other people lose respect for them.
Walid called his former business partner a worm after discovering the stolen funds.
figurative use: call someone a worm
Only a complete worm would spread lies about a colleague just to get a promotion.
register: informal, insulting
Gabriela refused to shake the man's hand, saying he was a worm for cheating the elderly couple.
Hannah called Theo a worm when she found out he had been secretly reading her private emails.
用法筆記
Strongly insulting and informal. Used as a singular countable noun, often in 'call someone a worm' or 'a worm' by itself. Less common in modern usage than stronger insults like 'rat' or 'snake'.
5. a piece of malicious software that creates copies of itself and spreads between
a piece of malicious software that creates copies of itself and spreads between linked computers across a network, often damaging or destroying data.
A worm spread through the office email system and brought the entire network down.
domain: cyber security — network worm
Xiu installed antivirus software on her laptop to protect it from worms and other malware.
The university IT team worked all weekend to remove a worm from the main server.
Unlike a virus, a computer worm does not need a host file to travel between machines.
用法筆記
Distinguished from a 'virus' — a worm spreads across networks independently without attaching to a program or file, whereas a virus requires a host file to move.
常見錯誤
worm — verb
1. to move slowly and carefully through a narrow, crowded, or difficult space by tw
to move slowly and carefully through a narrow, crowded, or difficult space by twisting, sliding, or pressing the body against the surroundings.
Tara wormed her way through the busy crowd to reach the station exit.
pattern: worm one's way through [space]
The cat wormed under the garden fence to chase a bird in the neighbour's yard.
pattern: worm under [object]
Walid wormed slowly through the narrow cave tunnel, scraping his elbows on the rough rock.
The plumber wormed the camera cable into the narrow pipe to inspect the blockage.
文法句型
worm + through/into/under + noun phrase
用法筆記
Frequently used in the pattern 'worm one's way through/into/under something'. Can be intransitive (the cat wormed under the fence) or transitive with a reflexive object (wormed himself through the gap).
2. to treat a household animal such as a dog or cat with a drug that kills any para
to treat a household animal such as a dog or cat with a drug that kills any parasitic worms living inside its body.
Hannah took her puppy to the clinic to get it wormed after finding worms in its stool.
passive: get + animal + wormed
Vets recommend that you worm your cat every three months to keep it healthy.
The rescue centre wormed all the dogs before putting them up for adoption.
Xiu bought chewable tablets from the pet shop to worm her rabbit at home.
- deworm
the more common everyday verb; 'deworm' is gaining ground over 'worm' in modern usage
- treat for worms
periphrastic alternative, clearer but less concise than the single verb
文法句型
worm + animal
用法筆記
Used almost exclusively by veterinarians and pet owners. The verb is less common in everyday conversation than the phrase 'give a deworming treatment'. Often used in its past participle form: 'Is your dog wormed?'